My Duty is to My Heart
by MM1232
Summary: Madge was made of many attributes, courage, kindness, and intelligence. This was how she could prove it, to show that she wasn't just the mayor's daughter, but a strong young lady. She could bring honor to her family. A Gadge retelling of Mulan, loosely based on the Disney film.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The letter

A/N: Hey guys, if any of you have been reading my previous story, I'm sorry to inform you that I've taken it down. I hit severe writer's block. But if I ever get over it, I'll be sure to post it again. Anyway…here is my new story. I have recently become a HUGE Gadge fan, literally the second best Hunger Games pairing (Everlark is #1). I was watching Mulan a few days ago and got this idea. It has always been one of my favorite Disney movies. If you're also a fan then you get bonus points in life. I hope you enjoy.

-M

* * *

A loud resonating knock echoed through the halls of the Undersee manor. This particular circumstance was not uncommon in their lives. Madge's father was the mayor of District 12, one of the 13 districts that made up the country of Panem. Their family was usually visited by congressmen or citizens with complaints. What made this particular situation alien however, was the reason for which the visitor at the door had arrived.

Madge's father rose from the couch, where he had currently been listening to her play the piano for him and her mother. He made his way to the door and opened it, only to be greeted by a capitol official. He was dressed too formally for it to be a casual visit and had a large satchel hanging from his right shoulder.

"Can I help you?" Madge's father inquired.

"Good afternoon sir, I don't mean to be a disturbance, but I've been sent by the capitol to deliver an important message to every household." He took a breath, then pulled an envelope from his satchel. "Every household with a man 18 years old or older is required to send him off to a special military training in District 13. Problems with our surrounding countries are arising and we need to be prepared for a possible attack. Forming a military is the first order of business. This envelope is a formal written order for the Undersee family. The chosen man is requested at the Justice building for dismissal in one week."

Madge sat frozen at the seat of her piano. She was trying process the information that was currently racing through her head. A man of the household, but there wasn't anyone- oh, her father.

No.

He was too old.

He was too weak and worn down.

He wasn't strong enough to face a possible battle. Her frantic eyes met with her mother on the couch, who was equally shaken, before reaching her standing father's face. He was pale as he stared at the white envelope that the capitol man was handing to him. Despite her father's obvious fear, he didn't seem surprised, like he almost expected this. The man then nodded his head once, and turned to walk swiftly out the open gate of their front yard, and down the street, out of sight.

Her father closed the front door before he spoke. His words completely unrelated to what had just occurred.

"I'm going to go to bed early this evening, Maryanne? You coming?" he asked, his eyes still staring down the white paper, his tone dull of emotion.

Her mother stood up from the couch, and walked slowly towards her father. They headed up the stairs together, her mother wrapped around her father. Both of them neglected Madge as they made their way to their room.

Madge remained at the piano, her heart racing. Her body was cold with fear. Her legs shook as she got up to make her way to her own bed.

* * *

Madge laid in deep thought the next morning. She thought about Panem, she knew that it was having trouble maintaining the treaties with the nine other remaining countries. She just didn't think that the capitol would pull such a drastic act. She wondered if capitol citizens were required to follow the same rules. If their sons would be sent off to training, and then into battle, just like her father.

After the third world war, the country of Panem was formed. Madge didn't know the major details, due to the fact that it had been over 300 years, and little documentation of the events were kept. Panem was a large country, but not highly populated. It was split into 13 districts. It was very separate from the rest of the world. After the Great War, many countries had been destroyed, and the remaining few dispersed themselves throughout the globe.

She got out of bed and made her way downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast. She saw her father sitting at the table. His routine had already begun with him reading the daily newspaper. The only differences were the darker than usual circles under his eyes, signs of a sleepless night.

His purposeful avoidance and silence irked her.

"It's not fair daddy." She admitted as she sat down across from him.

Her words drew a reaction out of him as he sighed, pulled his glasses from his face and looked back at her. "I know, Madgie, I know." He glanced down and wiped his watery eyes before glancing back at his anxious daughter's eyes. "I don't want to leave you and your mother, but the capitol's rules are law, I don't have a choice. And maybe it won't be so bad, it's only military training, perhaps another war won't occur, if that's the case, I'll be safe." He rubbed his forehead, a clear sign that he was stressed.

Madge looked down in frustration. "We both know that's bull, I follow the news dad, I know what's happening, I just didn't expect this to be the solution."

"Watch your language," he disciplined. He chuckled quietly as he got up to head to his office, "You're too smart sometimes Madgie, too smart," he mumbled.

Madge was left alone in silence, her ears ringing.

* * *

The next few weeks passed devastatingly fast. It was the night before his father had to leave for training. Her family sat together in their living room, reading separately.

It was then that a brilliant plan struck Madge. She criticized herself for not thinking of it earlier. It was a dangerous thought, one that could possibly get her killed for her defiance. Madge could take her father's place. She was eighteen, the required age. She had relatively plain features and was not as curvaceous as other women. With the proper concealment, she could easily pass as a young man, or at least a boy who hadn't quite hit puberty yet.

"Mom, dad, I'm heading up to bed, I'll see you in the morning." She closed her book and made her way over to her parents on the other couch. "I love you." She said to both of them as she leaned down to give them both quick hugs.

"We love you too, so much," Her father replied. Her mother kissed her cheek then gave her a watery smile before Madge headed up to her room.

As soon as she reached the confines of her room, she ran over to her desk and searched though the drawers before finding what she was searching for. Scissors. She then walked to her bathroom and stood in front of the mirror.

"You're doing this for you father. Because you love him." She whispered with determination. Then she closed her eyes and cut her long and silky blond ponytail from her head. She sucked back her tears and fingered her short hair. "It _will_ grow back." But she already missed her golden locks, which were now laying on the floor surrounding her feet.

One last look told her that it needed to be shorter, so she trimmed back the uneven strands and clipped and cropped until all that was left was a messy pixy cut.

Close enough.

* * *

As soon as she woke, she snuck into her parent's room, careful not to wake them. When she reached her father's closet, she searched for his smallest plaid button down shirt as well as small pants. She grabbed them off their hangers and then rushed from the room, taking one last glance at her parent's sleeping forms over her shoulder.

After changing into her men's attire, she crept downstairs and into her father's office. She located the letter faster then she had expected and pocketed it. She would need it as proof for her deployment this morning. She left one of her hair ribbons in its place, so that they would know why she had left, and to not send out a search party.

She quickly slipped on her sneakers and ran out the front door. She didn't look back. She couldn't be tempted to change her mind. She was doing this for her parents. Her mother needed her father, and her father wasn't strong enough.

All the way to the justice building she reminded herself of this. Repeating her duty in her mind, telling herself that this was what she needed to do. As she reached the front doors, she stopped to muster all of her courage, then marched right in to meet the other new soldiers from district 12.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm not going to schedule my updates, so they'll come when they come. I will however try not to be too long getting them to you guys. Anyway, I hope you like it...Gale makes an appearance ;)

-M

Disclaimer: I do not own either the Hunger Games or Mulan. All rights go to Suzanne Collins and Walt Disney.

* * *

Madge sat with her head leaning against the cold hard glass of the train window. She was currently heading out of the only home she had ever known. District 12 passed behind her in a speedy blur as she gazed out at the unfamiliar land. She was already beginning to feel homesick. Despite her father being the Mayor, they had never been given the privilege or opportunity to explore outside of 12. She thought that it was horrible how the capitol people were so privileged, and the districts got next to nothing. They were the slaves, sent out to do the dirty work, like fighting in the battles.

She sighed as she snuck a peek at the young man sitting across from her. She knew that he was one of the baker's sons. His Mellark eyes were a dead giveaway. She couldn't remember his name. She knew that he had to be either the oldest or the middle one. The youngest son, Peeta, had been her friend back in school. She was glad that he wasn't chosen to represent hid family. As terrible as it was that anyone was chosen, she knew that Peeta had a higher chance of not making it back. He was always a kind and friendly boy, not the kind of personality traits that help you succeed in battle.

She discreetly looked at the rest of the passengers that shared her compartment. She had seen the majority of them around the district. She was more familiar with the ones that had originated from the town since she hadn't spent much time in the Seam, the less fortunate section of 12.

One of her only friends, Katniss Everdeen, had grown up in the seam. The only times that Madge had been down there were to visit with her.

Madge leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes to feign sleep. It was probably among her best intentions to avoid conversation with these men. She was afraid that they would recognize her, or at least find her suspicious. She was the mayor's daughter after all, her face was well known among the district, just not in terms of popularity.

They arrived shortly at the train station in district 13. It was a quick ride, seeing as through district 12 was the closest to 13. At the sound of the whistle, Madge followed the men out of the train car and onto the platform. They gathered on the platform as more flooded out from the train, there had to be at least 100 men in total from the district 12 train.

Despite the vast amount of people gathered around her, one look at district 13 indicated to her just how alone she really was. Her eyes widened in amazement as she took in her surroundings. District 13 was huge. It wasn't large in the sense that the buildings were tall, it was quite the contrary. Madge had known that the majority of the district was underground. It was the span of the district that made her feel lost. The military fortress was spread out across the flat land for miles.

She heard another whistle blow and snapped her around at the sound. She had been gazing for too long. She quickly joined the rest of the district 12 crew from where she had wondered off. The man who blew the whistle appeared strong and sturdy before them. His dark skin was a noticeable contrast to the pale townies and olive skinned seam folk gathered around him.

"Alright men. Listen up. My name is Boggs, and I am the head of this entire training base." He gestured to the large amount of district property. "We will be splitting up all the men coming in from every district into separate groups for training. These groups will be based on size and ability."

Boggs paced back and forth with even strides, staring into the eyes of every man and silently daring them to act out. When his eyes met hers, they narrowed slightly. She sucked in a breath. He knew. She was done for. Oh god this was such a stupid idea in the first place.

But then his eyes slid passed hers in a matter of seconds and her terror was forgotten. She let out the breath she forgot she was holding. "We will be holding a fitness test this afternoon. As of now, since you have no belonging with you, you will be issued two sets of uniforms and then lead directly to a temporary housing unit until you have been placed among a group. Is this clear?"

"Yes sir." Echoed the men. Madge was terrified. A fitness test? She was sure to be placed in the lowest group. She didn't have any talents that stood out in terms of strength. She wasn't the smallest 'man' there, due to her height of 5'9, but she was one of the leanest and rather skinniest.

* * *

After they were given their sets of uniforms and temporary rooms, they were instructed to change. Unfortunately, they didn't each get their own rooms. Madge was paired with some guy from 12 who was obviously from the seam, that she had never met before, but she still kept her head down.

Madge changed in the bathroom despite the laugh that it received from her new roommate. "Afraid to change in front of me little boy? I won't bite." Then he cackled at his own pointless humor.

like bandages that she stole from home. Even though her chest wasn't as large as most women, she thought it was best to conceal as much bust as possible. When she finished getting dressed into the plain grey army uniform, she went searching for the gym that they would be testing in. She should have realized that it would be so hard to find in a place this large. She wondered if they had any maps around here. They probably should, or at least invest in a proper tour guide. She was just about to ask for directions when she ran into something hard and tall. Probably a pole, it wouldn't be the first time that her clumsiness shone through.

Back in 12, Madge was constantly running into things or tripping over small objects. She blamed it on her height. She wasn't a giant, but her above-average height made it hard for her to see her feet and whatever was surrounding them.

However, as she looked up, it wasn't rough cement that met her eyes, but a tall, brooding man's pale and striking grey eyes. Her heart skipped a beat in her chest and her face flamed. He had to be at least half a foot taller than her, his lean and toned frame loomed over her.

"I..um..sorry, I guess I was being a little clumsy," she stuttered out squeakily. She quickly recognized her error and tried to cover it up in a deep manly voice this time. "But hey! You were being stupid by running into me too!" She belted out and puffed out her chest. He only glared back at her in response. He didn't seem like the friendly type. She then took in his obvious official uniform, he must be a trainer. Which was surprising, seeing as though he only looked a few years older than herself. Madge wasn't normally the swooning type, but this man's rippling muscles and strong biceps made her pause.

He stood there and scowled at her, arms folding across his chest. "Are you just gonna stare dude, or get a move on to testing?"

She blushed again. "Oh. Um yeah. See ya there…dude." Then she took off in the farthest direction away from him. All her previous thoughts on swooning over him forgotten. _God what and embarrassment. He probably saw right through her. She shouldn't have done that stupid deep voic-._

"Hey," he called out, interrupting her inner frustration, "The fitness room is that way." He said, an arrogant smirk on his face and his thumb jabbed back in the complete opposite direction of wherever it was she was headed.

She wondered if she could set a record for number of blushes in three minutes. Only this time, it was out of frustration.

She let out a muttered 'thanks', speed-walking in the direction of his pointed finger. She still didn't know exactly where the testing room was, so she followed the groups of men that were hopefully making their way to the gym. _What a jerk,_ she thought. The handsome man she ran into minutes ago was still weighing heavily on her mind. God, he must be so full of himself. It's a shame he had to be so damn attractive.

Pull yourself together Madge! Attractive? God, what was she thinking? She didn't have time for this. She was pretending to be a man for crying out loud! It's not like she could act on her feelings. Which she kept telling herself she _didn't_ have. She just needed to clear her head. Hopefully the testing would get her mind off of that arrogant prick.

* * *

The gym was crowded, and gigantic, like everything else in this district. It had to have been the size of at least 16 of her high school's gyms put together, and filled with over a thousand men. Thinking of high school brought a sour look to her face. Not exactly the golden time for her. She was glad that she graduated and that phase of her life was over. When she gets back to twelve, she'll probably go into office as a potential candidate for mayor. There really isn't anything else for her to do.

Well, _if_ she gets back anyway. That thought stops her in cold blood. She needs to remember that she gave up a future for herself when she decided to save her father. She may not come back alive, but in a wooden box. She needs to stop dreaming instead of focusing.

A loud horn blows over a set of loudspeakers. There are large screens set up all over the gym so that the men in the back can see Boggs as he makes his way to a stage located in the middle. He speaks into a microphone as he describes the events.

"Alright men, we'll be working in rotations of stations to test your strength and agility. Station 1!" he shouted, "Is to test your speed, you will run a certain distance as a designated overseer times you. Station 2! We will be monitoring how many repetitions of 50 pound weights you can do. This is the easy stuff by the way. So don't get too used to it."

It was going to be worse? God, she didn't even think she could do three repetitions. She had never had to lift much of anything before in her life. She occasionally swam I her backyard pool, so hopefully her arms strength was at least acceptable.

"Station 3 is…." Boggs droned on has he continued to explain the 15 other stations that would need to be completed. Madge was almost ready to throw up just thinking about it. She decided that to start out, she should go find the least crowded station and get it over with. Madge knew that she was definitely not going to stand out for her strength in any of these stations, but she hoped that she wouldn't be noticed because of her weakness.

The first station was a muscular endurance test in which she had to climb a rope up attached to the ceiling as high as she could, and then come back down. She was being timed. Thankfully, she had done something like this before in PE. She at least knew how to get onto the rope. As she made her way to the rope she ignored the stares of the other men that waited behind her for their turn. She needed to tune them all out if she was going to do this.

As she made her way to the front of the line, the overseer asked for her name.

"Mad-" "Mark Undersee" She fumbled. She almost let her real name slip. That would have been suspicious. Seeing as though 'Madge' wasn't usually a boy's name.

Her hands encircled the rope and she grasped it tightly as she hoisted herself up. Damn this was harder than she thought it would be. Her arm muscles were already straining as she pulled herself up the rope as quickly as she could. She put her legs into it as well, soon realizing that she probably looked like a little worm inching her way up. She started sweating and she heard the men below her laughing at her feeble manner of mobility.

"It's already been a minute Mr. _princess_, you gonna give up soon?" A snarky blonde man below had made the comment. His stupid followers were laughing along as if what he has said was genius. Madge snorted to herself as she continued to hoist herself up with difficulty. He clearly was all looks and no brains.

Madge had been used to insults her whole life. From the capitol citizens brutal tormenting to the bullying that came with being the mayor's daughter. Her family loved her, and even though the comments hurt, she knew that she would always be loved by _someone_. This knowledge had always made her feel stronger.

Madge was drawn out of her thoughts as she suddenly hit her head. It was the ceiling. She had run out of rope. The laughs aimed at her continued from down below. But she had made it! Wow, she didn't expect to actually get so high. But quickly, anxiety hit her chest as she realized that the problem now, was getting back down.

She gripped the rope tightly with her two feet as she slowly descended down the rope with her arms. She maneuvered herself down less than expertly but at least she reached the ground safely.

"Mark Undersee: Six minutes!" The overseer yelled out. Her score was then replicated on a screen directly above the stations. A permanent mark of her efforts. She was feeling pretty good about herself until the blond boy came up behind her and whispered in her ear.

"I've been trainging for this back in my district, and my best score was one minute and 43 seconds." He chuckled which lead a very uncomfortable shiver down her spine.

He stepped away from behind her and crossed over to her front. His cold blue eyes seared into hers before he then turned to face the overseer, and called out his name, "Cato Billings!"

* * *

She made it through the rest of the stations with similar results. She was embarrassingly terrible at the gun firing range. Her inability to hold the gun correctly made her aim terrible. She was also horrible at weight lifting and her overseer let it be known to her.

"God, you lift like a girl," He smirked, His bronze hair and crooked smile mocked her as she dropped the weight on her chest _again_ during reps. She wanted to scream out that she _was_ a girl. But that would be pointless, seeing as it would get her killed. All the other men laughed along with the obvious peacock of a man at her feeble attempts. She literally came so close to smacking them all in the head with her 50 pound weight.

She finished up testing at the crunches station, she was able to complete 46 crunches in one minute. It was a passible result.

Some of the other stations that she had done were sprints, spear throws (she was kind of decent at that), hand eye coordination testing, and an agility course.

A few of the stations were simple ones. They only had to determine your weight, height, and your current state of health.

She told herself that it was a good thing that she didn't run into tall, dark, and handsome from earlier.

* * *

When all her testing was complete, her whole body was aching and lethargic. She passed on the idea of dinner, instead deciding to go straight on back to her room. She planned to wash off all of her shame from today and jump right into bed.

It turned out that her roommate had other plans for her. The shower was currently in use, and by the sound of the female moans, she guessed that her obviously disturbed roommate had already decided to hit on the military nurses.

Disgusted, she collapsed into bed with a pillow wrapped tightly around her head. She fell asleep to the dreadful feeling of seeing her placement results tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I know that it has been almost a year since I last updated and I'm really sorry to those of you who read this story. I'm still developing my skills as a writer so this story is by no means amazing, but I appreciate the support from those of you who don't mind. This chapter is a little choppy, but I was in a rush to get up off my butt and continue this fic. Let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions towards the plot since this is still In-Progress. Also, I'm looking for a beta, so tell me if you're at all interested.

* * *

A cold realization washed over her as Madge woke up the next morning. The results would be posted today. If her restless sleep was any indication, Madge was extremely nervous. She knew that her lack of certain abilities would lower her rank. She could only hope that she wouldn't be part of the group that was destined to be the laughing stock of the military.

As she got out of bed she glanced over at her sleeping roommate. He clearly slept well due to his activities last night. She scowled in his direction as she made her way to the bathroom.

Her morning routine was relatively the same now, binding her breasts, getting dressed, and attempting to appear as manly as possible. After finishing up, she headed out of the room and went to try and find her way to the dining hall. Her stomach was growling with hunger, no thanks to her nerves yesterday that prevented her from eating.

She wasn't sure what time the test results would be posted, but based on the number of people crowded around the dining hall, she presumed that it must be soon. Obviously everyone was anxiously awaiting the news, it was only 6 o'clock, but apparently, rush hour had begun.

After making her way through the food line Madge went to the nearest table and sat down. The table was occupied by a few young men who were laughing loudly over their meals. Madge tried to sit as inconspicuously as she could at the end of the table. Unfortunately, that plan didn't work out as well as she hoped.

"Hey blondie, get over here" laughed one of the men in her direction. "We don't bite, come on."

Madge sighed and then turned in that direction to meet the gaze of the speaker.

She was almost taken aback by his good looks.

He had bronze wavy hair set atop of his very perfect face which was defined with a strong jaw and charming grin.

She smiled back slightly in return before scooting down the bench to where they were.

"Hi," she said in her deepest man voice. She wasn't afraid, but more at a loss for what to say.

The bronze haired man laughed in response to her and his smile grew wider.

"I'm Finnick, from 4," he said. "This is Gloss, he's from 2, Beetee from 3, and Messalla who has always lived here in district 13." She turned to get a god look at all of the men. They all seemed nice, except for Gloss, who just oozed womanizer. "And who are you?" He asked kindly.

"Mark from 12." She answered. She liked Finnick, he gave off a friendly vibe. Perhaps this experience wouldn't be too bad.

"Oh a 12 recruit huh? I haven't had the pleasure to meet any yet. YOU would be my first. Pleased to meet you." He replied with another teasing smile.

Madge chuckled back in response. "I haven't met anyone from 4 yet, so I must say that the pleasure is all mine."

"Oh such manners." He laughed then before changing the subject. "Have you seen the pool?"

Finnick then went on to describe the large pool that he discovered only a few days ago and how good it is that he found it because he feels like a fish after growing up in 4 and cannot breathe without the opportunity to swim.

To this Madge laughs and decides to open up a little, describing her love for music and how playing the piano is what she herself cannot live without.

* * *

After breakfast, Madge said goodbye to Finnick, Gloss, and Messalla, who she had actually bonded with over breakfast, and followed the crowd of men through the large hallways of district 13. She figured that they were all headed to wherever it was she needed to go. How they all seemed so aware and acutely in-turned to the schedule was beyond her. She felt out of the loop is some way. She never had any idea where she was supposed to go.

As they came closer to an even larger hallway, the people started to disperse.

"Last names A-C starting on the far left of the entrance hall," a voice boomed over the speakers located among the walls.

Madge continued down the hallway, and then followed the list of last names in alphabetical order until she came upon 'Last names S-V' somewhere closer to the right. She waited in line patiently with the men whose last names started with a letter within that range.

When she made it to the front she gave the commanding officer her last name.

"Undersee." She stated, despite her brave front, she was a little nervous about what her results would be.

The officer slowly pulled a white card out of the file container in front of him. His eyes scanned over it with unattached ease as his lips began to form words.

"You are to report to station Hawthorne for duty. You scores for the training tests are located on this sheet. Here are the directions and information required. It's located in sector 3, floor 10. Good luck." He nodded his head in dismissal before motioning towards the man behind her.

She looked at the card now placed in her hands. A small map was printed in the front with a red dot indicating where she was (the check in) and a yellow dot marking which sector she needed to be in. She also glanced down at her scores in the process and her heart dropped low into her stomach. Despite having a few good scores for separate stations, her overall score was a 5.

She headed back to her temporary dorm to collect her belongings before heading out to begin her real adventure.

* * *

Madge finally made it to sector 3 after many mishaps and several instances in which she was lost. Large grey doors marked the entrance to the sector. As she made her way in, she closed the doors behind her before heading to the iron elevator which would take her down a few levels until she reached her destination.

Sector 3 looked just like every other part of this dull and dreary district, grey. Once she stepped out of the elevator she saw a smaller line of men who seemed to be checking in again, probably for room reservations.

She made her way into the line and stood behind a rather scrawny man who couldn't be any older than 18 or 19. She then took in all the other men, these were the people she would be training with and learn to depend on. None of these men looked very fit, she figured that they all must have gotten bad scores like herself. But that was okay, it meant that there wasn't a very big chance of her getting beaten up by any of these men.

She made her way up the line until she was at the front. The officer standing in front asked for her name and once she replied, gave her the number of her new military dorm and sent her on her way.

Madge made her way down the hallway on her left searching for room number 15; that would be her new living residence. She came upon the door a few minutes later and nocked. Perhaps her roommate was already inside.

The door opened a few seconds later and she was greeted by a stocky man with blonde hair and a slight scruff. He smiled widely at her before gesturing for her to enter. She was confused by his silence but surprised by his kindness. "Thank you," she said. "I'm Mark," she offered her hand in a welcoming shake.

He shook it before turning around and reaching for something on his dresser. It was a notepad. He wrote out 'I'm Pollux, I'm an avox.'

Madge was at a loss for words. She had encountered quite a few avoxes in her time as the Mayor's daughter, however, she never knew quite how to approach them. "I'm so sorry," she settled for. Her voice ringing with genuine truth.

Pollux only shrugged in return.

"How did you get out of the capitol?"

He flipped to a new page of his notepad. 'I left with my brother a few years ago'

"Oh."

Awkward silence filled the room.

Madge smiled tightly before making her way to the unoccupied bed in the left corner and setting her bag down.

"I'm just going to take a nap before we meet our trainer later today." She said with a yawn. Then she asked, "Do you know what time we have to be there?"

Pollux held up three fingers in answer.

"Okay, thank you Pollux, can you get me up then?"

He nodded and smiled before turning back to his suit case and continuing to unpack.

* * *

In what seemed like minutes later, Madge was being shaken awake by a strong arms.

She was about to yell at her roommate for waking her up before she remembered that she had requested him to do so, so that they could make it to their opening session in time.

She thanked him instead before slipping on her shoes and heading out the door.

They both made their way in companionable silence to the large iron doors that were marked 'Sector 3 Training Grounds.' She pushed open the doors and together they filed in with the rest of the small group which was facing the opposite direction towards whoever she presumed would be their military leader.

Thankfully, being tall gave her an advantage and she peered through the openings of the men standing in front of her until she met the grey-eyed gaze of the last person she had expected to see, her blue eyes widened in surprise.

It was the man she had bumped into yesterday on her way to testing.

The handsome young man who was still giving her butterflies. His gaze shifted from her and she took the time to release a breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

Madge quickly looked to the side to see if Pollux had noticed. That would be an awkward situation to explain. He wasn't facing her direction. He was too busy looking for a way to see up front.

Madge tapped him on the shoulder and pointed him in her direction so that he could see their training leader.

His voice boomed over the small crowed of men, "My name is Gale Hawthorne, and I will be your training leader. This is my first year as such and I hope to be able to show our success to the military leaders during our final group test before heading out on our first mission. I need you all to promise me that this is something we can achieve. Together. Understood?"

Madge and the rest of the men, excluding Pollux chanted back together, "Sir, yes sir!"

"Good," Gale stated. "Now line up for a quick evaluation."

The men scattered in haste and fear to stand up tall in front of their leader.

Gale walked down along the line of men and peered into the eye of each soldier, for what, Madge wasn't sure. He stopped about nine men away from her and loomed over a scrawny young man. "What do you hope to accomplish while you're here?!" He shouted at the man.

"I want to grow strong Sir!" He shouted back.

"Why?!" Yelled back Gale.

At this the man sputtered. He obviously didn't have a response.

"Wrong answer!" Shouted Gale. "We need to be strong so that we can protect our country! Understood?!" He shouted back.

Madge stared at him with admiration. Despite his hard and rough personality. He had fire. He was strong both physically and mentally.

She was so captivated that she didn't realize he had stopped right in front of Pollux, who was two men down from her, and had shouted at him a question. Madge didn't quite catch what it was.

She could only stare back in fear because Pollux was incapable of responding. Gale yelled at him again and lifted his hand in violent warning. Madge could feel her own fire raging beneath the surface of her skin for the treatment that Pollux was soon to receive. Madge stepped forward in line.

"Stop!" She yelled out fiercely. Her eyes glazed with passion. The man that she had previously admired was about the abuse Pollux, who was completely underserving of the punishment. Her respect for him dropped quickly. No one should be treated in such a way.

His gaze fell away from Pollux and his hand lowered as he took in the small scrawny figure that was Madge. His eyes flashed with quick recognition before string over to her in two angry steps.

"You just spoke out against your military officer without permission." He states calmly. Yet his eyes were still stern. "You have bravery," he commented. "Quite admirable." And then, his expression shifted into one of a genuine smirk. And his next words shocked Madge. "It was a test." He spoke loudly. He then broke his gaze with Madge and turned to face the rest of the group.

"Pollux here is an old friend, and unfortunately, he is also an avox. My challenge for you was to build up your fear and then see how you would react to something unfair and unjust, and which men among you would do the right thing, no matter what the consequence was. To see who would step forward with genuine strength."

He then turned towards Madge and declared, "This man here was the only one of you to do so, congratulations soldier…?"

"Mark Undersee," she responded, still in a daze over what happened.

"Soldier Undersee," he restated. "Now, you are all dismissed as of now, but I hope that all of you will go to your dorms tonight and contemplate your actions. Good night men." He then turned away and walked out the smaller pair of doors located to right of the large gym.

Madge looked after him, her feelings and thoughts of this man jumbled and confusing as she thought about how to understand his character.


End file.
